A team of volunteers and rangers have been hard at work to repair and preserve paths on some of the Lake District’s best known fells.
Work will continue by Fix the Fells throughout the year across the Lake District, including paths on Coniston Old Man, Helvellyn and Scafell Pike. Work is also planned on the Coast to Coast route between Borrowdale and Grasmere.
Fix the Fells Programme Manager Joanne Backshall said: “It is wonderful that so many people are enjoying the Lake District fells each year. Now more than ever, we’re seeing more people reaping the benefits that spending time in nature can bring.
“Although the mountains will be here forever, they need on-going care. With so many people using these routes, human-related erosion is spiralling out of control and having a devastating effect on the landscape and wildlife.
“The work we are doing to repair and maintain eroded paths across Cumbria is critically important to protect this iconic landscape and its environmentally sensitive habitats so that people can continue to enjoy the natural beauty of the Lakes for years to come.”
Fix the Fells aims to reduce soil, gravel, stone and peat degradation in upland areas by repairing and creating more resilient paths better capable of managing increasing visitor numbers and severe weather events.
The degradation of paths results in the loss of rare upland habitats and species, as well as having an adverse impact on rivers and lakes below as sediment is washed off the fellsides.
Work will include addressing gullying and degradation caused by heavy use and rainfall, installing drains to shed water from paths and defining paths to limit their spread and the resulting damage to thin, upland soils.
Most of the work will be carried out by hand by a team of 23 rangers and 130 volunteers who contributed a total of 2,277 days to repairing upland paths in 2021.
They use materials found on the fells, some of which is bagged by hand and then flown by helicopter from as near to the path as possible to exactly where it is needed. In April 288 bags of stone were lifted by helicopter into remote areas for the repairs.
Joanne said: “Everyone can help look after the Lake District while they are out and about enjoying the fells by wearing appropriate footwear, sticking to paths and not being afraid to get your boots muddy by going through rather than around puddles. Stepping to the side to let others pass at a safe distance before returning to the path to continue your walk will also help stop paths widening and wearing down surrounding habitats.”
To make a donation to support Fix the Fells go to www.fixthefells.co.uk/donate
